Monday, 25 January 2016

Breaking News: Crisis Looms In APC Over Appointments

The names forwarded for consideration for appointments into the boards of federal agencies and parastatals is causing crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) following accusations of nepotism and favouritism against some leaders of the party.President Buhari has intervened in the APC crisis by asking the party leadership to liaise with the SGF with a view to finding an amicable solution to the problem.

President Buhari who had approved the dissolution of the governing boards of federal parastatals and agencies and institutions on July 16, 2015, set up a committee to reconstitute the boards.

But the committee set up by the president has been unable to conclude its assignment due in part to this dispute between party leaders at the state level and some newly-inaugurated members of President Buhari’s cabinet over appointments into the boards.

According to The Punch, the presidential committee had agreed with the party leadership that each of the 36 state chapters should submit the names of 50 persons to be appointed.

But party members have alleged that nepotism and favouritism have characterised the lists submitted as party leaders jostled to outdo one another to favour their candidate for consideration.

Speaking on the crisis, a leading member of the party on condition of anonymity told The Punch that: “In the South-East for instance, apart from Ebonyi State, most of the other states are in crisis over this matter.

“We also had a situation where states like Lagos had two separate lists. There were also allegations that some of the state chairmen nominated their wives and cronies to the exclusion of people who really laboured for the party.

“As a party of change, we want things done differently some of those who were aggrieved used the back channels to make their feelings known and reach out to the President.”

However, President Buhari is reported to have waded into the crisis by instructing party leadership to liaise with the SGF to look into the issues raised with a view to finding an amicable solution to the problem.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Car­dinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for acting disdainfully towards the judicial authorities while millions of Nigerians are abandoned to face unimaginable social problems.

Cardinal Okogie’s position was expressed in a statement issued in Lagos by the director of social communications of the diocese, Monsig­nor Gabriel Osu.

In the statement issued on Sunday, January 24, Okogie, accused President Buhari of questionable leadership, oppressing Nigerians and waging a shoddy anti-corrup­tion crusade.